A Lack of Contrition, Is What This Is

Several of my girls in my homeroom got in fairly serious trouble (for a Catholic middle school) for having their cell phones in school and taking pictures in the bathroom (not allowed, at all). A week later, one of them took much longer on a trip to the bathroom than she should have, and when I asked her to explain herself, she give a "look how clever I am" smirk to her friends and said, "I was taking pictures, sorry."

Which is what this reminds me of:

"I was worried I wasn't going to make it... I was pinned down by sniper fire at the Burbank airport."
-Hillary Balboa, joking on Leno

It's official. Aside from not liking her politics, this woman is getting on my nerves.

My Personal Retreat

...for four years was the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. I went there one day while I was home because, realistically, it was my last chance. I took about a million pictures and tried to suck in all the details to carry around with me for the next... however long until I see it again.

I will miss it.

The Honeymoon is Over

I've spent most of my time since February going on about how much I love the weather here. I was wearing shorts and flip flops the first week in March, and on my birthday (March 12) it was nearly 80. Perfect. Beautiful. Amazing.

Until just now, when I had my first mosquito sighting of the season.

Dang. Forgot about those, and the 50+ bites I had from the knees down at one point last summer.

My Sister is Amazing

After talking to me about the friend drama in her 4th grade class, and her fears about both drifting from her best friend and moving physically away from all her friends, she says:

"But you know, the Chinese word for 'crisis' also has the character for 'opportunity' in it. So, I guess anytime something bad happens something good happens, too."

Do you know how freakin' long it took me to learn that? She's ten!

Wow.

Melissa has inspired me to create a "theophany" label, which up to this point I had intentionally avoided because the entire content of this site is supposed to be on theophanies, but this is just too much.

I am Sybil

I knew it! Twelve parents in thirty minutes! It's now ten minutes past the official end of classroom visits, and my last parent just walked out.

Which means of course, I'll be doing the same shortly. Woo!


**Edit**
Sybil?? I totally meant Cassandra. Why did I say Sybil??

And even Cassandra isn't a nice thing to compare myself too. She was cursed to be a prophet who always spoke truth but was never believed. Not my situation. At all.

I'm a dummy, basically.

Half Time

Alright, we're half way through classroom siege... er, visit night, and I've yet to have any visitors.  This happened last quarter though, and in the last fifteen minutes I was suddenly beset... um, I mean, graced by five or six parents.

Holding tight.

Game Face

It's classroom visitation night.   For those of you new to primary school jargon, that means parents come pick up their kids' report cards and then stop by to ask me why Oliver Overachiever has a 93 instead of a 94, or why Janie Slackslot has a 75.  They're supposed to start coming in ten minutes (5:30), but some are already prowling the halls.  I'm hunkered down behind my desk, sitting under the radar, if you will.  I sincerely love when my parents are involved with their children's education and back me up, but seeing them all at the same time wears me out.  I'm hoping the nice weather inspires them all to go to Dairy Queen instead of coming here.

 

At 6:30, I am out of here like greased lightening.

Hillary Balboa

When it comes to finishing a fight, Rocky and I have a lot in common. I never quit. I never give up.
-Hillary Clinton

...Seriously?

Three Years Later

I don't know about you, but this still moves me to tears.



"We can be sure that our beloved Holy Father is at the window of the Father's house, blessing us."

Things I Wish Were April Fool's Jokes

You would not believe how many times a day I tell a student to be quiet and get one of these responses:

 

"I wasn't talking to anybody, I was talking to myself!"

"I wasn't talking, I was singing!"

(Having looked me in the eye, while talking to someone else) "I wasn't even talking!"

 

It's totally insane.